Today, American-born, London-based songwriter Joni shares "Still Young," a new single from her forthcoming debut album, Things I Left Behind, out April 11th via her twin homes of Keeled Scales (North America) and Hand In Hive (in the UK and the rest of the world).
"Still Young", Things I Left Behind's penultimate track, was also the song that kickstarted the process of writing the album and, as such, holds an important place on the record. A brooding four minutes, 'Still Young' is indicative of the charm that Joni exudes: the confessional lyrics, a weary heart, but elevated by an endearing and compelling sense of pop nous that shimmers throughout.
"I originally wrote this song for my little sister who was going through a rough patch," Joni explains, "but then somewhere down the line she got her life together and things were kind of unraveling for me... I remember being on tour and thinking that the perspective had shifted and I was really just singing the song to myself. I think it’s good to be in touch with younger versions of yourself and to carry them with you as you move through life."
When Joni says that “pain is the price you pay for loving someone” it’s coming from a place of deep experience. Having relocated to London from LA with her long-term partner, and closest musical collaborator, the singer-songwriter suddenly found herself thrust into a deeply unsettling break-up, one that left her isolated in a brand new country, and also one that pulled back the curtain on a host of unhealthy patterns she had become accustomed to within the relationship. ============================================================================
Photo - Gabrielle Mary
Vera Ellen - sangria (demo).
2024 was a big year for rising Aotearoa songstress, Vera Ellen. The year found her awarded the coveted Taite Music Prize for her 2023 album ‘Ideal Home Noise’, touring 14 dates across mainland China, and flying through 10 sold-out arena shows around Australia with Crowded House… all while hard at work in the studio with longtime producer and collaborator Ben Lemi, working on what’s to come.
Today Vera shares delicate forbidden-love-anthem ‘sangria (demo)’, A fan-favourite from recent sunny festival sets at Laneway Festival and Twisted Frequency. This track is performed, recorded and mixed by Vera herself, and in keeping with its DIY essence, it’s paired with a self-edited music video.
The video is composed of lo-fi footage captured in earlier days of summer; commemorating time spent on a national tour with fellow Flying Nun alumni Voom and Reb Fountain, as well as being on the road with Aotearoa icons Crowded House, playing to their masses of Australian fans at iconic venues such as the Sydney Opera House.
About the song Vera shares “‘Sangria’ is an ode to all the romantic halfwits who know about wanting something they shouldn't have. The intoxicating mix of alcohol and the familiar scent of an old lover. Saying 'to hell with it!' and doing the thing you mustn't in the name of a particularly inviting moon.”
Hannah Rose Platt is back with the brand new track “The Edinburgh Seven”. Showcasing the darker, grittier underbelly of her upcoming album ‘Fragile Creatures’ (coming 25 April), the visceral new single can be streamed on all services now. As she prepares for a major breakthrough with her medical-themed new album, this fascinating latest excerpt finds Hannah examining the story of the “The Edinburgh Seven”.
The first group of matriculated undergraduate female students at any British university, The Edinburgh Seven studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh back in 1869. Though pioneering for their time, they were prevented from graduating and qualifying as doctors because of their gender - with an angry mob even gathering at the Surgeons’ Hall the following year to prevent them from sitting their anatomy exam. Delving into this turbulent chapter of history with a song of rage and resistance, Hannah echoes the period with a raw, pulsating piece of music. Of “The Edinburgh Seven”, Hannah says:
"Writing “The Edinburgh Seven” was my way of channeling the untold, fierce story of these incredible women into something that feels raw, alive, and rebellious. I wanted to capture their defiance in a sound that’s gritty and visceral—imagine Tarantino making a film about their journey, marching through a hostile crowd of men throwing dirt and hurling insults as they made their way down Nicholson Street to sit their anatomy exam. The song is swampy rock with a bite, reflecting their fight for a place in medicine when society tried to shut them out. In writing this, I wanted to give them a voice, honor their courage, and bring their story into the modern world with all the grit, determination, and swagger it deserves."
Produced by Ed Harcourt, “The Edinburgh Seven” is a gritty, swampy rock anthem that brings the rebellious spirit of the first female medical graduates to life and channels the bold, trailblazing energy of these pioneering women who broke down barriers in 19th-century Scotland. Infusing a Tarantino-esque cinematic flair colliding via the defiance of these doctors, the resultant track is a powerful celebration of breaking through glass ceilings, delivered with swagger, grit, and unapologetic strength. ============================================================================
Photo - Argiris Liosis
Kerala Dust - Bell.
Kerala Dust have just shared a brand new track, "Bell", a hypnotic blend of blues, psychedelic rock, and techno – it marks their first new music since their last album, Violet Drive.
Talking about "Bell" which lingers like a hazy memory - cinematic, pulsing, and impossible to shake - Kerala Dust said: "This song came to us in fragments over a couple of recording sessions. Echoes of the blues from a week of tape recording in Austin, Tx, it’s about the way we bury parts of ourselves – memories, emotions – only to find them resurfacing when we least expect."
"Bell" is a clear statement of Kerala Dust’s evolution and musically signposts where they’re heading blending art rock, electronica, Americana, desert blues while harnessing dance floor energy.
Musician / producer, Kedr Livanskiy (Yana Kedrina) releases her fourth studio album this weekend via 2MR. On Myrtus Myth, she draws on mythologies both public and personal to craft an expansive experimental pop album and Dante-esque journey through the self.
"Working on an album is an exploration of yourself. Making a decision to write an album is like an invitation to wake up; an invitation to get to know yourself, to find out who you are and what truly excites you - through sound. This is a discipline of the spirit, cleansing the channels through which inspiration enters the blood.
The last couple of years have been incredibly difficult for many people on earth, and for me in particular, a lot has changed. This album is a reflection on painful topics through the prism of the mythical, dreamlike and otherworldly. But this work itself, for me as a person, is an escape from reality into the world of the nooks and crannies of the subconscious, dreams, the transcendental and fantastic.
The music in this album is inspired not only by life itself and musical references, but in many ways by literature and literary images, myths, and poetic symbols. All together it forms an Odyssey - the hero's journey. The album is imbued with the idea of a deep kinship of the soul with the universe, the awareness of all-unity, the search for a place for a person in the cosmic and personal. Love as salvation." - Kedr Livanskiy
This is the new studio album from Zion Train which includes their hit single ‘Move To Love’ and is released on vinyl LP and digital formats. This album is produced by Neil Perch in the Alte Ziegelei studio and features the world reknowned Zion Train brass section along with vocals from Zion Train singer ‘Cara’ and the award winning poet Roger Robinson.
Featured on several tracks is Paolo Baldini playing guitars and bass guitar alongside veteran musicians – Trinny Fingers, Blacka Wilson, Dreada One and Professor Skank who hails from Crete.
For this album Zion Train return to their roots with copious amounts of analogue Dub mixing performed by Perch on his TAC Scorpion vintage mixing desk. With mastering at the Pressure Mastering, and artwork by the highly acclaimed anarchist artist Marko Gin from Croatia, this album presents Zion Train at their creative, anarchic best.
Colin Buchanan’s August 2024 Matt Fell-produced album “Memory Town” has achieved and exceeded the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s expectations for what has been his first country album in a decade.
“I’ve never stopped writing songs for my own projects, I just hadn’t got around to recording them. When Memory Town finally happened, I thought of it as a sort of re-introduction of Colin Buchanan the country artist to fans and to the industry”. The album was number 1 on the Australian Country ARIA album chart. What I Love About Country and The Bush Comes Back were #1 singles. Airplay was widespread, reviews were glowing. News of 5 Golden Guitar nominations capped off a remarkable 2024.
Enter Memory Town - Bonus 2025 Golden Guitar Edition. The digital version of the album receives three additional tracks; River Town, King With Coal Dust On His Hands and In Real Life.
River Song is the only co-write on Memory Town,” explains Colin. “It’s a song about the power of music to set us free - something we all cherished in those years of shutdown. I wrote it with James Gillard, my long-time musical collaborator. He has a CV as long as your arm - he’s a top producer, bass player, backing vocalist and guitarist.” The song reveals something of how the vivid lyrics of Colin’s songs hold a power to transport even their own writer in times of isolation and confinement.
Caroline Strickland is an alternative rock musician out of Brooklyn, New York. She is carrying on the tradition of rock champions PJ Harvey and Liz Phair, compared often to modern indie darlings like Lucy Dacus, Blondshell, Sharon Van Etten, and Devon Ross.
Her first EP “Watch” came out in 2023, released to critical acclaim. She has played live shows up and down the East Coast, with a signature duo set up that enthralls even the most timid live audience. Strickland’s music revolves around themes of self actualization and realization, analyzing the tension between our arrogance and tenderness, how we fall in love and how we let go.
Driving guitar and smoked out vocals are highlighted with the occasional one-string lick or tap on the piano, a sparse style that somehow fills the void. “Loving You Right” dropped August 30th, 2024 and was the lead single off the brand new five track swan song “Martha’s Calling.” This fabulous EP is released on Beacon, New York based independent label Good Eye Records.
AJ is about to release his sixth album entitled Phasedrift. With a slightly more organic approach to production, these songs showcase the diverse palette that he is known for, while venturing into sonic territory that signifies drifting towards a new musical identity. The first single Thunderclouds was released on Feb 14th, 2025 (Engineering and mixing by Doug McBride (Gravity Studios) and Mastered by Greg Calbi and Steve Fallone at Sterling Sound). His previous releases are Manifestations, Ultramarine, Resistor, the Earth and Shoal EP, and Daughter Product (Fatigue), which have all garnered critical acclaim.
AJ's style is not easy to classify, but his progressively acoustic tendencies tend to dominate his compositions. His rhythmic, expressive and emotive delivery gets peppered with experimental colors, and an infusion of soulfulness. He draws comparisons to Pete Townshend, Cat Stevens, Nick Drake, and Bob Mould, however he delivers his own unique hybrid sound, blending multiple genres into a cohesive and modern sensibility that sounds like "AJ".
The Franco-British band, Dustaphonics, proudly announces the release of their fifth album, Gasolina today, through KingAling Production London. With 12 tracks that dance through the realms of Rock , Pop Rock, Surf, and Garage Soul, Gasolina promises to be a captivating addition to the band's eclectic discography.
About the Album: Gasolina is not just an album; it's an experience where the raw energy of rock 'n' roll meets contemporary flair. Led by the charismatic Yvan Serrano, Dustaphonics have crafted a sound that pays homage to the roots of rock while exploring new musical territories. The album features collaborations with renowned artists like Lisa Kekaula and Bob Vennum of The Bellrays, and psychobilly legend Mark Robertson of The Meteors, adding diverse and dynamic layers to the tracks.
The Band: Founded in London in 2008 by guitarist, producer, and composer Yvan Serrano (also known as DJ Healer Selecta), Dustaphonics has always been about the fusion of various musical influences. Their sound, a cocktail of rock 'n' roll, rhythm and blues, surf rock, garage rock, and soul, has captivated audiences worldwide. Noted for their dynamic live performances, the band continues to blend the old with the new, making Gasolina a testament to their evolving musical journey. ============================================================================
Photo - Darko Todorovic
Slow Burn Drifters - Golden (Album).
Singer-guitarist Ray Vale of Slow Burn Drifters selected their tantalizing band name “for what someone’s about to hear,” exemplifying his dark, dreamy, elegiacally timeless vocals and guitars. He’s joined by the resplendent piano playing of Violet Booth on their album Golden, out today March 7th, 2025. Vale’s dramatic and passionate wide-screen vocals and songs and playing will please devoted fans of artists like Nick Drake and Scott Walker, and of the kind of music that haunts the frames of David Lynch films.
Vale grew up in Northern NJ looking at the Manhattan skyline, and now he’s living in Austria looking at a very different boundary between earth and sky. Vale has written all the songs for Golden, the debut full-length for Slow Burn Drifters, but this is Vale’s 12th album. “In comparison to the other records I’ve put out, this one is more personal; it’s also more melodic,” Vale reveals. “Additionally, Violet’s piano plays a key role in most songs, whereas it was more textural and decorative in the past.”
The jouissance behind the band name is how it resonates with the beauty and terror of literature, cinema, and other, esoteric forms of expression. “On top of that, when I look around, it seems like the average attention span is shrinking by the hour,” Vale says. “A film, book, or song that's a ‘slow burn’ is on the verge of extinction, but it's exactly what we cherish: things that need to be absorbed and lived in to be understood: Romance, tragedy, and transformation …”
As for what the ten-song cycle Golden is about, Vale explains “I heard an interview once where someone was asked about eternity,” Vale says. “I think it might've been Joseph Campbell, and he said something like, ‘Eternity isn't a long time; it's what stands outside of time.’ That always stuck with me—the album title refers to that state of being, or a part of us that remains unchanged by time and moves past the appearance of separateness, like sunrise and sunset, it's a song about pain and loss, hope, or anything in between, that's the golden prism through which the album's songs are being viewed.”
Kensie Coppin’s new single “Texas in Me” is smokin' hot! Kensie’s talent and love for her native state is deep seated in this song. She’s a CMA of Texas Artist of the Year and she penned Kin Faux’s #1 single “My Kind of Weathered”. With “Texas in Me” Kensie cuts loose with her own vocal in her own song and reminds us why we love our Texas Country music!
Kensie Coppin is a powerhouse singer and songwriter born and raised in Texas. Her first Grand Ole Opry performances were at ages 11 & 12. While living in Nashville, Kensie spent her time writing with award winning songwriters and building a catalog of songs of her own that are being recorded by other up and coming artists. Now back in Texas, Kensie just received the #1 song in Texas for 3 weeks in a row across 3 different charts performed by Kin Faux.
Kensie also won CMA of Texas Artist Of The Year for 2022. Kensie has her own music out and continues to release new music alongside her career of performing, touring, recording and writing songs for herself and other artists. Kensie has many aspirations, and has accomplished much in her career thus far. She has been her own boss for over a decade, and fights for the independent artist and songwriter. She continues to expand her horizons, including touring internationally. Co-writers include: D. Vincent Williams, James LeBlanc, Phillip White, Curly Putnam, Dale Dodson, Jeff Silvey, Bernie Nelson, Lance Carpenter, Big Vinny, Barrett Baber, Helene Cronin, Scott Sean White, Emma Zinck, Blue Foley, Trick Savage & more.
Susto Stringband will release their debut album, Susto Stringband: Volume 1, on March 28, 2025 via New West Records. The 9-track set was produced by Ryan Stigmon and recorded at Mitch Easter’s Fidelitorium Recordings in Kernersville, NC. The debut album is a collaborative work between Justin Osborne, frontman of the acclaimed rock outfit Susto, and the Asheville-based Americana band Holler Choir. It features nine of Osborne’s ballads, refrains, and heart wrenching confessions, now drenched in the singular Appalachian sound of Holler Choir’s verdant harmonies and stringed arrangements.
Seven Susto staples have been reworked with bluegrass arrangements in Holler Choir’s company alongside 2 new compositions. Osborne’s introspective musings on love, devastating loss, mortality, and transcendence are steeped in the emotive punch of traditional string band sound. Susto Stringband presents an Arcadia like vision of pastoralism and harmony with nature, but with Osborne’s lyrics, there are landmines to dodge and mountains to climb.
Susto’s Justin Osborne says, “This is the first song that I’ve ever written with the specific intent of recording it as a stringband. In the last several years I’ve navigated a lot of major changes in my life, and the most profound of those has been becoming a parent. As a touring musician, I am always coming and going, and it can be tough to balance work and family life. I wrote this song for my daughter (who was 3 at the time) as a message she could reflect on later in life. Now, as a father of 2, I really think of both of my kids when I sing this song, and it serves as a way for me to feel close to them every time I sing it. It’s a promise from me to them, that although I may be gone often, I’m always there for them and they will never lose my deep love for them.”
Today CocoRosie, the sister duo of Bianca and Sierra Casady share the fourth track, “Pushing Daisies,” from their upcoming eighth studio album Little Death Wishes (out March 28th on Joyful Noise). A few years ago, the Casady sisters were puzzled and transfixed by a billboard that read: “Women Drive Drunk Too”. Was it some kind of feminist dictum? A proclamation that in order to see a woman’s wholeness one must first acknowledge her brokenness?
The questions the billboard raised, regardless of its coco r pic intent, helped clarify the sisters' own messaging. Not long after, they wrote “Pushing Daisies”. A bedroom electronica anthem which traces the veins of intergenerational trauma shared between three female family members, the track spiritually transforms clichés of pain into fresh revelations. It shows women in all their dynamism, their fractals and splinters sewn into a whole.
About Little Death Wishes: For just over twenty years, Bianca and Sierra Casady have transmuted the love, hardship, and ecstasy of sisterhood into some of the most daring, dangerous, and wildly original music our increasingly sanitized culture has known. CocoRosie has been a project consistently at the musical vanguard, influencing countless musicians while inspiring and creating refuge for the “criminal queers” of the world. Above all, CocoRosie has been a conduit for irrepressible artistic self-realization.
New York-based artist The Bones of J.R. Jones (aka Jonathon Linaberry) just announced his 6th studio album Radio Waves will be released on June 20 via Tone Tree Music. The 11-song collection was produced by GRAMMY-nominated producer Robbie Lackritz (Feist, Bahamas) and marks Linaberry’s first time working with an outside producer.
Also yesterday, he released the album’s debut single “Savages,” a driving anthem that revels in the reckless abandon of young adulthood. Magnet Magazine called the single “An intoxicating first dip into Radio Waves… a warmly hypnotic, achingly nostalgic reassessment of misspent youth.”
"Savages is finding yourself out all night in the July heat under city street lights, at a house party, getting lost with your friends and being completely enveloped in that moment. It’s surrendering to that feeling. Letting yourself feel wrecked, gut punched, inspired, and bleary eyed. It’s about wanting to disappear right then and there in the hopes that time stops."
Rising alternative pop duo Tha Flicker return with Laugh, a chilling yet deeply evocative single that explores the aftermath of domestic abuse. Inspired by a true story, Laugh paints a stark picture of a widow standing at her abusive husband’s funeral. After enduring 30 years of violence, grief never comes—instead, she laughs. Not out of joy, but as an uncontrollable, irrational response to a lifetime of pain.
Musically, Laugh combines eerie, melancholic tones with hypnotic electronic layers, capturing the complexity of trauma and the human psyche. Vocalist Giulia Cappelluti delivers the track with a raw intensity, while Marco Ridolfi’s production builds an unsettling yet cathartic soundscape. The track was produced by Marco Ridolfi, Pietro Foresti, and Luca Urbani, the same team behind their debut single Faded Flowers.
With Laugh, Tha Flicker continue their journey into dark, compelling storytelling, proving that their artistry is as much about raw emotion as it is about sonic innovation.
Welsh Shoegazers Wylderness are back with a brand new single 'Is It Summer.'
The band said this about 'Is It Summer': "This started out as a riff with loads of delay played on an old Vox amp we found where we were practicing. We then jammed about and it developed into a song in two parts. It has a cinematic quality in the first half with hints of Interpol. It reflects the wild west nature of the 90s tech boom. Then it erupts in the second half and outro (“Stand up count everything / If you want to / If you want to”)."
The Cardiff band’s second album, Big Plans for a Blue World(2022), was recorded with an expanded line up and featured added layers of vintage synths and clarinet. It placed no.28 in Far Out Magazine’s Best Albums of 2022 and charted in the North American College & Community Radio Chart.
2025 will see the release of their much anticipated new Safe Mode EP recorded with producers Andrew Sanders and long time collaborator Rory Attwell. ============================================================================
Death Sells - Corner.
Much like a rock disrupting calm waters, the emergence of Death Sells this year has caused a significant stir in the music industry. Their work is characterized by an uncompromising, unrestrained, and genuine approach.
Corner is the first single following the band's highly acclaimed debut EP, which dropped in 2024. It captures the raw tension of jealousy and unspoken conflict, where every glance feels like a challenge, and every move is a calculated game. The song dives into the frustration of having your world invaded by someone who’s always watching, always taking, but never satisfied. With its simmering energy and biting lyrics, “Corner” is a quiet act of resistance, turning the tables and serving a dose of poetic justice. It’s a powerful reflection on reclaiming your space and holding your ground, perfect for anyone who’s ready to confront the unspoken and take back their power.
Death Sells bridges the gap between indie, grunge, noise and punk. Quite clever how the band manages to mix the music of Blood Red Shoes, Wet Leg and Amyl And The Sniffers into a new genre.
Manchester-based American artist Run Remedy (Robin Koob) has announced that her debut album, Xtian Skate Night, is set for release on June 20th. A fearless deep dive into identity, loss, and self-acceptance, the album fuses confessional lyricism with intricate arrangements, blending melancholic folk elements with atmospheric indie rock and experimental textures. Alongside the album announcement, Run Remedy unveils her haunting new single, ‘Unwaltz’ - a lush and layered track that encapsulates the tension of hiding one's truth while yearning for freedom.
The new single, ‘Unwaltz’, stands as one of the album’s most emotionally charged moments - a song of internal conflict and suppressed love, cloaked in hypnotic strings and dreamlike vocals. “In the story of the album, this is my 'trapped' song - the perfect girl, the preacher’s daughter…hiding my internal life,” Koob explains. “The vocals are close and super layered. Lots of whisper tracks as I beg my unnamed love to find the truth by ‘eavesdropping in on my heart.’”
Recorded live with just six channels, ‘Unwaltz’ captures the raw energy of a single moment, with contributions from Rhys Jiang (drums), James Cooke (electric guitar), George Burrage (bass), and Koob herself on nylon guitar, vocals, and strings layered. The song’s eerie production nods to David Lynch, a longtime influence of Koob’s - coincidentally, she filmed the Unwaltz video on the day Lynch passed away.
Beloved folk trio I’m With Her comprised of multi-GRAMMY winners (7 wins, 31 nominations collectively) Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sara Watkins — will return this Spring with a stunning new record entitled Wild and Clear and Blue out May 9 via Rounder Records / Concord.
Alongside today’s album announcement is the release of “Ancient Light,” their stunning first single and album opener of Wild and Clear and Blue. “Ancient Light” is a tender meditation on ancestral ties and cycles of life, adorned with a lavish instrumental section featuring Watkins’ artful layering of fiddle and cello. With Jarosz on lead vocals, “Ancient Light” embodies a spirit of subtle resolve as she calmly narrates the havoc around her (“While everything’s unraveling / I’m building a fire / Sparks and smoke rings / Fill up the night / When it catches / I’ll be swimming in the ancient light”).
Of the track, the band says: “We started playing around with this riff in a Silverlake bungalow in October of 2022. We were still at the beginning of writing this album, and as these images of joyful melancholy floated towards us, we found ourselves reaching for them in a free-flowing way that felt wholly new to us, yet completely natural. This song is a journey, and (producer) Josh Kaufman encouraged us to open the song up and let it breathe. ‘Ancient Light’ sets the tone for the entire album, communing with our past and future selves.
Jamaican singer-songwriter Lila Iké opens up a world of vulnerability on her new single, “Too Late To Lie.” The brand new song and music video is from her forthcoming debut album via Wurl Iké Records & In.Digg.Nation Collective under exclusive license to Ineffable Records.
Lila Iké recently announced her first UK headlining shows with her full band. She and Wurl Band will hit the stage in London, Bristol and Manchester from April 8-10, 2025. Prior to that, she heads to Japan to perform a series of dates with their local Home Grown band.
“Too Late To Lie,” features production by Winta James, opening with a crescendo of live instrumentation that goes from a faint crack of snare drums to a dramatic avalanche of sounds. As Lila Ike’s melodic siren coos its way through the intro, every word thereafter is drenched in conviction.
“I know my life will never be the same,” she expresses about the heartbreak and betrayal she feels. In the video directed by Remi Laudat, Lila Ike is flanked by towers of speaker boxes, staples of the foundational sound system culture that birthed the rumble of the Jamaican dub bassline that inspires so much of this single and the many highlights in her discography.
The Midwest’s latest lo-fi pop unit Agora Sci-Fi proudly presents their debut single, “portals”. This is the first offering from the upcoming LP Finding It Hard to Explain Something so Obvious.
An introspective tune about living in a different world from people you’ve parted ways with, "portals" provides a healing journey that transcends space and time. Whether through dreams or through memories, Agora Sci-Fi analyzes these various paths that connect metaphysically. Wrapped in a melancholic cadence and flowery vocal harmonies, the new track hits deep for those experiencing a fresh loss.
Speaking in further detail about the new track is Nathania Rubin herself: “Even if you consciously know that you will never see a person again, it’s not something you can feel in advance. I liked the idea of expressing this by saying “I knew that I’d see you again.” It’s not a thought, because that is too conscious, it’s an assumption. You walk around knowing this until one day you find yourself in a new life - a world without that person. In a way they are still in your world, but you have to pass through unclear portals to reach them.”
Recording for the single and upcoming album took place at Eclipse Studios in Normal, IL. Beginning in 2023 and wrapping up in the latter half of 2024, the tracks you’ll hear on the upcoming album are emotionally raw centerpieces filled with irresistible bits of ear candy.
Miami Horror - We're All Made Of Stars (feat. Telenova).
From Miami Horror we are told “We’re All Made of Stars” is one of our favorite songs and collabs from the new album (just released last Friday), encapsulating many of the album’s core themes in a single track. It’s a song about loss — losing people we love and wondering if we’ll ever see them again.
But it also speaks to a greater idea of cosmic resolution: the notion that we never truly leave, that we are always part of the same universe and infinite cycle of life. The track carries an ethereal, almost otherworldly magic, heightened by the stunning vocals of Ange from @telenovaofficial , whose presence completes a full-circle moment for us with Josh’s new project.
The lyrics reflect on the passage of time, existence and the realization that we all return to the same source from which we came.
As the release of her 9th studio album Lighthouse Of Glass looms nearer, genre-defying Swedish songstress Sofia Härdig offers fans a final insight with 'In Silence' released via Bark At Your Owner (part of the Icons Creating Evil art family).
Opening with delicate acoustic guitar that gradually builds in intensity, 'In Silence' showcases Härdig's commanding vocals, delivered with a raw, Patti Smith-esque power that cuts through the instrumentation with visceral force. The track found new life when Härdig rediscovered it in her archives, taking on fresh dimensions through careful layering of instrumentation. A chance encounter after a gig led to the addition of Sara Edin's captivating violin work, adding a new dimension to the track. Härdig recalls: "Sara saw one of my gigs and came up and said if you need violin just call me. I love her tone and playing. It's bold and beautiful just as her."
In her poetic reflection on the piece, Härdig describes her obsession with silence as "the breaking point of reality where anything can happen," wrapping listeners in what she calls "a cloak of silence that I can wear like a shroud." Her words evoke silence not as absence, but as a living, breathing entity: "the silence I am breaking apart... where the words sleep. And in that silence we rise...". In this transformative space, silence acts as both refuge and spark - a deep darkness where change begins before bursting into sound.
Drawing from a diverse range of influences including Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, and Alan Vega, 'In Silence' emerges as the final preview of Härdig's upcoming album Lighthouse of Glass. The track represents what she describes as "the tip of the iceberg of a long cycle of lyrics, often a novel/short story that I have built in solitude." This approach extends across the album, with each song offering a carefully crafted window into deeper sonic worlds. Self-produced between her home studio and a three-week residency at Visby Center for Composers, Lighthouse of Glass defies easy categorization, moving fluidly between alternative rock, gothic rock, and post-punk. The recording process became a unique blend of creativity and community, with Härdig's kitchen and tin roof serving as unconventional meeting points for an impressive roster of collaborators, including Swedish guitar luminaries Robert Johnsson (Robert Johnson and the Punchdrunks) and long-time collaborator John Essing (Bob Hud). The final polish comes from Grammy-awarded mixer Nille Perned.
Boston's Autumn Hollow is excited to announce the release of their new single, "Wooden Wire," the first track from their forthcoming album. The full album, Say No More, is set to release on May 2nd, marking a significant milestone in their musical journey. Brendan Murphy, the Boston-based singer-songwriter known for his commanding vocal presence and incisive lyrics, draws inspiration from storytellers like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Warren Zevon. His distinctive voice carries an aura of unfiltered honesty throughout the new material, particularly evident on "Wooden Wire."
Glide Magazine describes the premiere: "'Hot damn' might be used to describe the first few minutes of Boston-based Autumn Hollow's 'Wooden Wire,' a trembly rocker that combines the vulnerable essence of Jason Molina with the cosmic improvisational charm of Zuma era Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Frontman Brendan Murphy brings a commanding presence to the vocals, and an aura of unfiltered honesty cascades in the five-minute-plus song."
The album was produced by Brendan Murphy and Elio DeLuca at the Soul Shop in Medford, Massachusetts. It features the band's new rhythm section with Chuck Vath on bass and Ian McMillan on drums, whose distinct energy has transformed Autumn Hollow's sound. Alongside Murphy and lead guitarist Mike Burke, they've crafted a collection of songs that feel both intimately familiar and daringly fresh—a roots rock record unafraid to push beyond traditional Americana boundaries.
Say No More features an impressive roster of guest musicians, including Elio DeLuca (Titus Andronicus) on piano, electric piano, organ, synthesizers, and percussion; Sarah Leveque on vocals; Peter Zarkadas on guitars; Will Ellis Johnson on pedal steel; and Gabriel Hirshfeld on banjo. Their collective talents have infused the record with a rich sonic palette that builds on Autumn Hollow's core sound.
Marathon, a band forged by the raw intensity of Amsterdam’s underground scene, is sharing the last single ahead of the release of their highly anticipated debut album, Fading Image. The album is set to drop on April 11th 2025, via V2 Records, and marks a new chapter for the band, bringing their unique spin to the post-punk revival.
After singles Out of Depth and For the Better, Marathon now shares new single Shadow Raised a Star. They say there's sunshine after the rain. But what’s rarely said is how that rain shapes us — makes us stronger so we can truly enjoy the sunshine.
"Shadow Raised a Star" is the final single leading up to Marathon's debut album Fading Image. A musical journey that takes you through almost every possible emotion. On this track, the band embraces their shoegaze influences like never before — a familiar undertow in their music that now rises to the surface in all its glory.
Marathon’s music captures the anxieties of the 21st century, with relentless drumming by Lennart, gritty vocals by Kay, and commanding six-string basslines by Nina, creating a backdrop of tension and release. Expanded live by keys and guitars by additional musicians Sofie and Victor, their sound evolves into an explosive mix of post-punk, shoegaze, noise and grunge—a “wall of sound” that balances darkness with the promise of new beginnings.
This is a sensation! Molara also known Molara Adesigbin was the singer and original front woman of the legendary ZION TRAIN and finally after more than 30 years tracks from her disappeared solo album which was initially released on SKUNK RECORDS will see the light of day via ECHO BEACH. Molara joined ZT in 1992 and the DUB ensemble became the “example” for the Live Sound System culture which grew around the globe from the 90ties onwards.
The characteristic sound fusion ZT created was very progressive at that time. They merged reggae and dub with dance styles like trance and acid house to create a vibrant and potent mixture. They achieved mainstream success with the album “Homegrown Fantasy”, their first release from a record deal with CHINA Records. The WIBBLY WOBBLY WORLD of MUSIC studio in Manor House, London was the creative home of ZT and a hub for the immense output of releases, productions, remixes etc predominantly on their label Universal Egg, until they re-located to Pembrokeshire in 1998.
A solo album by Molara with songs co-written with Colin "Cod" was also created at that time, but not properly released. Now, ECHO BEACH is highly delighted to announce the re-release of some of the lost Molara solo album, along with Space, originally featured on the China Records Grow Together album.
A sky full of dub romantic and magic references…, a naturally hemp celebrating and glorious science piece of Dub with omnipresent influences of low-frequency bass, scrambled fantasies, delays, echoes and reverbs.
Relentless folk/punk powerhouses Skinny Lister are ecstatic to announce their new album ‘Songs From The Yonder’ due for release on 9 May 2025, via Xtra Mile Recordings. A band who’ve never been afraid to plough their own furrow, they herald in their next era with the joyous new single "Plough On".
An insurgent anthem with shades of classic Billy Bragg or Elvis Costello, "Plough On" is a rousing rallying cry that urges us to roar in the face of adversity. Propelled by the punchy vocal performance of frontman Dan Heptinstall, he says of the track: “"Plough On" is about overcoming those unwelcome obstacles that inevitably get thrown our way now and then. But most of all–it’s an optimistic song about successfully weathering the storm and the hope of reaching ‘good times again’.”
Rooted in the influences that inspired the band’s earliest works, eagle-eared listeners will detect references to the melody of the traditional tune "Speed The Plough", which the band would perform together in their very earliest days. “It’s always fun to revisit uplifting traditional melodies like this, and stay connected to what we feel is the folk soul of the band” adds Dan.
The track arrives complete with a hilarious official video that finds the band tackling all terrain and taking on a bunch of less metaphoric, very real physical obstacles some members more successfully than others...
Maya Delilah has released “Maya Maya Maya,” the final single to be revealed from her forthcoming debut album The Long Way Round out March 28 via Blue Note/Capitol. The London-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist was recently named a 2025 Spotify “Artist To Watch,” another sure sign of her rising star after she was named to the Fender Next “Class of 2024.” Maya’s debut album makes good on that promise by bringing all the elements of her art together — the intimacy, the ability, the inspiration, the depth, the lightness — into one striking work.
Following the unvarnished funk of the flirty single “Squeeze,” the endearing soul-pop gem “Maya Maya Maya” shows yet another side of Maya’s musical personality. “It feels like a song to my younger self,” she says. “It’s about not being taken advantage of, not always trying to please people, and making sure I’m living in the right way.”
“This album is a combination of so many parts of me,” says Maya. “I get so influenced by different genres, people, places, and experiences that it’s always felt hard for me to fit my music into a consistent sound or mood. It took me a long time (hence The Long Way Round) to realize that it’s a beautiful thing to have a body of work that explores so many different influences.”
Making the album was also a literal journey, from a barn-based studio in Devon, England, to a home studio in Los Angeles, and back to various rooms across London. All with a cast of friends new and old, including producers Peter Miles, Josh Grant, Doug Schadt, Seth Tackaberry, and Aquilo’s Ben Fletcher and Tom Higham, as well as collaborators including Samm Henshaw, Grace Lightman, members of FIZZ, organist Cory Henry, and drummer Aaron Sterling (John Mayer, Taylor Swift).
Brooklyn-based artist Avery Friedman has announced her debut album, ‘New Thing,’ for release via Audio Antihero on April 18th. The album features James Chrisman (Sister. / CIAO MALZ) and Felix Walworth (Florist / Told Slant).
Previously, Friedman had always felt that songwriting was just something that other people did until she was pushed by a transcendent live music experience and a traumatic mugging to seek catharsis through music. Playing her first show in July 2024, she soon shared stages with h. pruz, Dead Gowns, and Sister., where she impressed the latter’s James Chrisman enough that he offered to record her debut album.
The result is ‘New Thing,’ a sonically deep and layered debut that sees Friedman explore her trauma and sexuality with a raw open-heartedness inspired by artists like Adrianne Lenker, Squirrel Flower, and Babehoven. Following "Flowers Fell," Friedman's acclaimed debut single, February 28th's "Photo Booth" is a punchy burst of shoegaze and indie music, both singles have impressed Beehive Candy and we really do look forward to the debut album.
“New Thing is a conduit for emotions too frenetic to hold on your own. This record is a collection of the first songs I’ve ever written, after many years of orbiting the music world, but denying myself my own musicianship. Many of these tracks were born of anxiety – from my turning to a guitar to externalize (and organize) a sense of chaos that otherwise felt trapped inside me. We recorded a bulk of it with a live band, as a means to maintain the raw energy at the center of the record. What results is a time capsule for a year of intense personal expansion in my life – and the layers of warmth, wonder, sensitivity and sharpness that come with growing.” – Avery Friedman.
Ahead of their very first international shows in Austin, Texas for SXSW, Joan & the Giants return with their first music of 2025: an emotional indie rock single, ‘Still Breathing’, which came out yesterday. Joan and the Giants' collections of accolades expanded exponentially in the past year. Having won Best Rock Song and Runner up Song of the Year at the 2024 WA Song of the Year Awards, touring along Australia’s east coast, playing Sydney's SXSW, and playing alongside P!NK and Tones and I at OPTUS Stadium, 2024 was a productive year, and 2025 is set up to be a fantastic follow-up as they head to the US for SXSW in March.
‘Still Breathing’ is a dreamy and emotional track. Born impromptu from a jam session, this is a free-flowing and heartfelt single and a true reflection of the love and passion that Joan & the Giants put into every song. With two tracks of guitar, a percussive track and melodic track, this song is imbued with an internal conflict. Its echoing instrumentals straddle the line of wistful pop and energetic rock. Frontwoman Grace Newton-Wordsworth’s voice is intoxicatingly authentic and leads the listener on an moving journey.
The emotion of this song comes from a very real place. This single marks the parting of frontwoman Grace Newton-Wordsworth and her long time partner, bandmate and songwriter, Aaron Birch after their nine-year relationship has come to an end. A tumultuous time for both of them, this is a product of their shared pain after their separation, and in that tragedy a passion is captured. This song acts as a farewell to Aaron as he and the band go their separate ways. Grace comments that:
“The lyrics really speak about an inner war, trying to fight for the people you once were but knowing you have to let it all go - “But some things are best kept in the past, and I know we weren’t built to last”.
Helsinki’s rising dreampop duo Eidetic Dreams returns with The Truth About My Fall a lush, emotionally charged breakup anthem that blends ethereal soundscapes with a fresh pop-rock edge. Featured on Radio Helsinki and praised in Soundi, the band is making waves in the Nordic indie scene. Released via All That Plazz (home to Markus Krunegård, Lala Salama, moshimoshi), this track is their most direct and compelling yet.
The song captures the moment after a breakup when unspoken words finally surface—sometimes as sharp remarks, yet with a lingering sense of respect for what once was. "Breakups are full of contradictions and bittersweet emotions—they hurt, but they can also help us grow as people," says vocalist-songwriter Siiri Kähönen.
Writing the song was quick, but the arrangement took time. "We experimented with different approaches for over a year and a half before realizing that simplicity was the key. We stripped away anything unnecessary to keep the song’s intimacy intact," Kähönen explains. The track’s depth is built on lush vocal layers, an atmospheric synth, and a melodic guitar theme that ties it all together.
British singer-songwriter and producer Shura shares her new single "Richardson" ft. New York singer-songwriter Cassandra Jenkins. It is the second single taken from her recently announced album I Got Too Sad For My Friends, to be released on May 30 via Play It Again Sam.
A lyric on “Richardson” cuts to the core of the album’s solitary feeling. “I got too down around my friends,” Shura sings over a laid-back groove adorned with soft guitar licks and flurries of keys. It was the first song written for the record, and it was also – by circumstance, but also fittingly – the first song she’s written at home alone on an acoustic guitar since she was a kid. Featuring Cassandra Jenkins, whose album An Overview on Phenomenal Nature was one of the few Shura could listen to during that period of high stress, the track brings her sadness full circle; Jenkins’ voice accompanying hers in lush harmony the same way it did back then.
Shura says: “I fell in love with Cassandra's record at a low point in my life. It felt like an armchair I could crawl into. It accompanied me on long walks I took around my apartment in Greenpoint. I always knew I wanted to work with Cassandra on something. After a few conversations it became obvious to the both of us that it had to be this song. That Cassandra would accompany me here. A song about walking, thinking, and trying to find comfort somewhere, as Cassandra’s voice accompanied me on those walks then.”
Cassandra Jenkins says: “I was drawn to Richardson because it captures a mood that's hard to place, in part because it's so much about place, and a kind of limbo we bring with us wherever we go. I love that this collaboration developed into a meta conversation between me and Shu about the ways we communicate with our loved ones when we are apart, whether by circumstance, time, or geography. It makes me think we were cosmic pen pals long before we ever met.”
Shealagh Rose, a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario, releases her captivating new EP, Safe in Our Silence, a collection of songs reflecting themes of vulnerability, growth, and emotional resilience.
The standout focus track, "Perth," is a transcendental and calming piece that celebrates the comfort found in deep, silent connections with loved ones. It embodies a hopeful sentiment, exploring the beauty of letting people into our lives despite the baggage we carry.
"Perth" was recorded in an intimate setting, with Shealagh tracking the piano at the music studio where she teaches, using rented Rodes mics. The process was a learning experience, pushing her to apply her knowledge of mic techniques in new ways. Contributions from friends like Murray Heaton (guitar on "Radio Silence"), Sam Goswell (drums on "Radio Silence"), Dan Minchom (bass on "Radio Silence"), and William Lamoureux (strings on "Games") recorded remotely, added rich textures to the EP.
The EP takes you on a journey. While the first three tracks deal with loss, apathy, loneliness, and bitterness, the last track, "Perth," turns a corner. It is a much more hopeful piece about letting people into our lives despite whatever baggage and scars we may have. – Shealagh Rose.
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